Published: Tuesday, February 5, 2013 at 11:00 a.m.

Last Modified: Monday, February 4, 2013 at 11:53 a.m.

The year 1963 saw the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s “I Have a Dream” speech, activist Medgar Evers' murder, the bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala., and more

The discrimination and segregation caused tension across the nation. Local resident Jason Robinson describes it as “a blemish on the face of this country.”

Other locals shared their feelings as well, comparing the racial climate of the area then and now. The general consensus among locals is that there's been improvement, but there's still more work to be done.

“We still have a long way to go,” Robinson said. “For goodness sake, the Department of Motor Vehicles still offers a confederate license plate. It's as if they are trying to reminisce about the times that were frankly a blemish on the face of this country, which has accomplished so much since slavery.”

Miranda Billiot, 20, of Houma, said racism will always exist.

“But at least schools and pools aren't segregated anymore,” she said.

Some locals from older generations agree things are still pretty tense and shared memories of what the Houma-Thibodaux area was like 50 years ago, at the height of the movement.

Twelve years after the Brown v. Board of Education decision by the U.S. Supreme Court struck down racial segregation in public schools, Terrebonne schools were still divided.

Hazel Boykin, 90, took two of her children, Jerome, 7, and Connie, 6, to the front door of West Park Elementary School and dropped them off.

By 1969, the schools in Terrebonne had fully desegregated.

In Lafourche, the moment came in 1968, when students at the all-black, K-12 C.M. Washington School were separated and sent to other schools with white children. The school was later renamed South Thibodaux Elementary.

During the height of the civil rights era, Boykin, along with her husband, the late Camden Boykin III, also made waves in Terrebonne Parish by sitting in restaurants that traditionally served only whites, ignoring the pigeon-hole through which food was handed to blacks.

Boykin, who still has vivid memories of the tumultuous time, was a woman who instilled the same values in her children. Her son Jerome is president of Terrebonne's NAACP chapter.

“We have a long way to go when it comes to civil rights,” Jerome said. “For example, Terrebonne Parish has no minority judgeship, so the black community is not accurately represented. Also, as big as the parish budget is, there's no work done with minority businesses when hiring contractors for certain projects. The judicial system should be diverse just like the Parish Council and just like the School Board. Also, lots of politicians enter black communities when they're running for office and make promises they don't keep. We need to do more to hold their feet to the fire.”

Hazel said she still feels some of the racial tension she felt decades ago in her fight for civil rights.

“Houma's still very racist,” she said. “I don't think it's ever going to really be over because there's so much hate. I often wonder why. I get so many hateful looks, but I'm not afraid.”

On the back of her car is a bumper sticker in support of President Barack Obama. She says one day, on her way home from “down the bayou,” a man drove behind her, repeatedly blowing his horn. She slowed to “see what was going on.” As the man approached, he yelled to Hazel to remove the sticker.

“He said ‘Take it off.' I didn't know what he was talking about. He said ‘Take that bumper sticker off.' I said ‘You come take it off,' ” Hazel recalled. “I've been married three times, and even my husband never ruled me. I figure I was raised already and don't need anyone else to raise me.”

Josephine Caillouet, 58, of Houma, shared her memories of the racial separation she experienced as a little girl.

“As I child I didn't really understand the idea of differences in colors of people, and I remember actually being embarrassed at the comments that were made around me about black people and about black Native American mixed people,” she said. “The first is of being sent to the laundromat down the street with our clothes because my mama's dryer was broken, and being totally confused about the ‘whites only' sign on the door, as she had sent me with dark colors also. The second and most profound thing I remember is thinking that it must be a terrible life if you were a black kid, and I was glad I wasn't. What a thing for a child to think.”

When local schools were integrated, Caillouet attended Houma Junior High.

“For the first time in my life I had black friends,” she recalled, adding that it was a rough time filled with adjustments. The Houma native said she has experienced discrimination outside of just ethnicity.

In high school, she was not chosen to go to Literary Rally, an annual state competition among high school students for different categories. She auditioned for the newscaster section of the competition, then reserved strictly for males.

“I was good but not chosen cause I was female,” Caillouet said. “Times have changed. Things are much better now than they were then, and I am thankful for that. We still have far to go. It is very disturbing to me still when people look around to see who is near so that they can speak as they please; not only about race but also about gay Americans and other issues. Hopefully the younger generation will help to end this intolerance.”

<p>This year marks half a century since several historic events that were critical to the progression of the Civil Rights Movement. </p><p>The year 1963 saw the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s “I Have a Dream” speech, activist Medgar Evers' murder, the bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala., and more </p><p>The discrimination and segregation caused tension across the nation. Local resident Jason Robinson describes it as “a blemish on the face of this country.” </p><p>Other locals shared their feelings as well, comparing the racial climate of the area then and now. The general consensus among locals is that there's been improvement, but there's still more work to be done. </p><p>“We still have a long way to go,” Robinson said. “For goodness sake, the Department of Motor Vehicles still offers a confederate license plate. It's as if they are trying to reminisce about the times that were frankly a blemish on the face of this country, which has accomplished so much since slavery.”</p><p>Miranda Billiot, 20, of Houma, said racism will always exist.</p><p>“But at least schools and pools aren't segregated anymore,” she said.</p><p>Some locals from older generations agree things are still pretty tense and shared memories of what the Houma-Thibodaux area was like 50 years ago, at the height of the movement. </p><p>Twelve years after the Brown v. Board of Education decision by the U.S. Supreme Court struck down racial segregation in public schools, Terrebonne schools were still divided. </p><p>Hazel Boykin, 90, took two of her children, Jerome, 7, and Connie, 6, to the front door of West Park Elementary School and dropped them off. </p><p>By 1969, the schools in Terrebonne had fully desegregated.</p><p>In Lafourche, the moment came in 1968, when students at the all-black, K-12 C.M. Washington School were separated and sent to other schools with white children. The school was later renamed South Thibodaux Elementary.</p><p>During the height of the civil rights era, Boykin, along with her husband, the late Camden Boykin III, also made waves in Terrebonne Parish by sitting in restaurants that traditionally served only whites, ignoring the pigeon-hole through which food was handed to blacks.</p><p>Boykin, who still has vivid memories of the tumultuous time, was a woman who instilled the same values in her children. Her son Jerome is president of Terrebonne's NAACP chapter. </p><p>“We have a long way to go when it comes to civil rights,” Jerome said. “For example, Terrebonne Parish has no minority judgeship, so the black community is not accurately represented. Also, as big as the parish budget is, there's no work done with minority businesses when hiring contractors for certain projects. The judicial system should be diverse just like the Parish Council and just like the School Board. Also, lots of politicians enter black communities when they're running for office and make promises they don't keep. We need to do more to hold their feet to the fire.” </p><p>Hazel said she still feels some of the racial tension she felt decades ago in her fight for civil rights. </p><p>“Houma's still very racist,” she said. “I don't think it's ever going to really be over because there's so much hate. I often wonder why. I get so many hateful looks, but I'm not afraid.” </p><p>On the back of her car is a bumper sticker in support of President Barack Obama. She says one day, on her way home from “down the bayou,” a man drove behind her, repeatedly blowing his horn. She slowed to “see what was going on.” As the man approached, he yelled to Hazel to remove the sticker. </p><p>“He said 'Take it off.' I didn't know what he was talking about. He said 'Take that bumper sticker off.' I said 'You come take it off,' ” Hazel recalled. “I've been married three times, and even my husband never ruled me. I figure I was raised already and don't need anyone else to raise me.”</p><p>Josephine Caillouet, 58, of Houma, shared her memories of the racial separation she experienced as a little girl. </p><p>“As I child I didn't really understand the idea of differences in colors of people, and I remember actually being embarrassed at the comments that were made around me about black people and about black Native American mixed people,” she said. “The first is of being sent to the laundromat down the street with our clothes because my mama's dryer was broken, and being totally confused about the 'whites only' sign on the door, as she had sent me with dark colors also. The second and most profound thing I remember is thinking that it must be a terrible life if you were a black kid, and I was glad I wasn't. What a thing for a child to think.” </p><p>When local schools were integrated, Caillouet attended Houma Junior High. </p><p>“For the first time in my life I had black friends,” she recalled, adding that it was a rough time filled with adjustments. The Houma native said she has experienced discrimination outside of just ethnicity. </p><p>In high school, she was not chosen to go to Literary Rally, an annual state competition among high school students for different categories. She auditioned for the newscaster section of the competition, then reserved strictly for males. </p><p>“I was good but not chosen cause I was female,” Caillouet said. “Times have changed. Things are much better now than they were then, and I am thankful for that. We still have far to go. It is very disturbing to me still when people look around to see who is near so that they can speak as they please; not only about race but also about gay Americans and other issues. Hopefully the younger generation will help to end this intolerance.” </p><p>Staff Writer Kris Johnson can be reached at 857-2207 or </p><p>kris.johnson@houmatoday.com. Follow her on Twitter </p><p>@krisLjo.</p>